Anyone else feel a little underwhelmed by the Wooli b2b Excision set at Apocalypse 2026?
Curious if anyone else felt this way about the Wooli b2b Excision set at Apocalypse 2026.
First off, I want to say I love both of these artists. I've seen them multiple times, and they're two of my favorites, so this isn't meant to be hate. Overall, I still thought the set was good. I just left feeling... underwhelmed.
Maybe I built this b2b up too much in my head since it was announced, but I was expecting something a lot more unique. Instead, it felt like a lot of the same songs we've all heard before, with a few VIPs sprinkled in. The mixing was solid, but I kept waiting for those unexpected moments that never really came.
What I was hoping for were creative mashups, new edits, unreleased collaborations, or vocals from one song layered over the melody of another, something that really justified it being a special b2b instead of feeling like two artists alternating through their catalogs.
For comparison, one of my favorite b2b moments was Excision b2b Subtronics at Lost Lands 2025. They mashed up "Black Out Days" with "Gold (Stupid Love)," and later blended "Feel Something" with "Into Pieces." Those were the kinds of moments that made me think, "I'll probably never hear this again." I was expecting more of that kind of creativity here.
Another thing that threw me off was the ending. It felt like the set wrapped up before 1 a.m. and kind of faded out halfway through a song instead of building to a huge finale. There wasn't that big emotional or cinematic ending I've come to expect from either Excision or Wooli. It almost felt like they played a lot of their biggest tracks early and then the momentum just slowly tapered off.
Again, I'm not saying it was a bad set, it definitely wasn't. I just don't think it lived up to what I expected from two artists of this caliber. Ironically, I think I've seen stronger solo sets from both of them than this b2b.
Maybe my expectations were just unrealistically high. Maybe I need to take a break from festivals for a while so everything feels fresh again. Or maybe I'm missing something.
Did anyone else leave feeling the same way, or am I alone on this? I'd genuinely like to hear what other people thought.